$22M Atlantic City gambling ring busted

[RIPPLE]

$22M Atlantic City gambling ring busted
by Rick Hepp Wednesday November 14, 2007, 2:01 PM

Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger
Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa. A $22 million illegal gambling operation being run out of the Borgota in Atlantic City by casino employees and others was dismantled this morning, said State Police spokesman Capt. Al Della Fave.

State authorities arrested 18 members of the ring, including the leaders of the operation, and are seeking five others, Della Fave said.

Attorney General Anne Milgram is expected to announce details of the investigation during an afternoon news conference.


This is the second time this year that state authorities have busted an illegal gambling ring at the Borgota.

In June, the State Police charged group of men - including renowned Las Vegas gaming expert Steve Forte, who authored two books on how to avoid gaming scams - for rigging a high-stakes card game using hidden video cameras, marked cards, laptop computers and microscopic ear pieces.

[RIPPLE]

The philly mob has alot to do with this they just stated.Not surprising
even with little vinny in jail the philly mob is still going strong..

[The Judge]

South Jersey News Online

Wednesday November 14, 2007, 3:19 PM


ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.- Criminal charges were filed this morning against the leader and 22 other participants in a multi-million dollar sports bookmaking ring that operated inside the Borgata Hotel Casino poker room and took in more than $22 million in bets since March 2006. Six casino employees were charged.

The alleged leader of the gambling ring, Andrew Micali, 32, of Ventnor, was arrested on charges of promoting gambling, money laundering and criminal usury. In addition, three associates of Micali were arrested: Vincent Procopio, 41, of Brigantine, was charged with promoting gambling, and Anthony Nicodemo, 36, and Michael Lancellotti, both of Philadelphia, were charged with conspiracy to promote gambling.

A supervisor in the Borgata poker room, Joseph Wishnick, 42, of Brigantine, was also arrested on a charge of promoting gambling.

Complaint summonses were issued charging 18 other individuals with promoting gambling, money laundering or conspiracy. They were not arrested.

The charges stem from an investigation dubbed "Operation High Roller" that was led by the New Jersey State Police and New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice with assistance from 11 other law enforcement agencies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The investigation, which began in March 2006, revealed that Micali relied on a network of agents to take in millions of dollars in bets on college and professional football and basketball. Micali, and his alleged partner, Jack M. Buscemi Jr., 50, of Mullica Hill, allegedly received a percentage of the gambling proceeds collected by the agents. Buscemi was charged by complaint summons with promoting gambling.

It is alleged that certain casino employees ignored exchanges of cash and casino chips made by the ring to avoid filing financial reports that are required whenever a transaction exceeds $10,000 or is suspicious in any way. The reports are intended to prevent money laundering at the casinos.

Investigators conducted extensive surveillance and observed the defendants conducting business in the Borgata poker room. They observed defendants accepting bets and settling up with bettors, either by accepting payment on losses or paying out to winners. It is alleged that some losers were forced to accept loans to cover their losses at an annual interest rate exceeding 50 percent, in violation of New Jersey's criminal usury statute.

The other casino employees charged via complaint summons with promoting gambling are:

Paul Parks, 31, of Egg Harbor, another Borgata poker room supervisor;
Austin Johnson-Brown, 35, of Atlantic City, a Borgata poker dealer;
Robert McEwen, 26, of Edison, a Borgata poker dealer;
Matthew Weyler, 26, of Turnersville, a Borgata bartender; and
Jeffrey Ebert, 45, of Ventnor, a Tropicana poker room supervisor. Ebert was also charged with criminal usury.

The state obtained a court order freezing a bank account of Micali's containing more than $200,000, and investigators seized more than $40,000 in Borgata chips and cash from his safe deposit box at the Borgata.

Search warrants were executed at two homes in Ventnor, including Micali's Princeton Avenue home, where investigators seized gambling records, a laptop computer and a loaded .357 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Investigators also searched Ebert's home, where they seized gambling records, two computers and a small quantity of marijuana. Additional gambling records, computers, a handgun and $20,000 in cash were seized in searches of three houses in Philadelphia, including another home owned by Micali and two "wire rooms" allegedly used for gambling operations.

The Division of Gaming Enforcement will be notified of the charges against each of the licensed employees so that appropriate administrative procedures can be initiated against their licenses.

Among those credited with assisting in the investigation are the Ventnor City, Margate, Sea Isle City, Brigantine, and Egg Harbor, Galloway, Harrison and Franklin township police departments.

These additional defendants were charged as follows by complaint summons:

Russell Brown, 44, Egg Harbor - Promoting Gambling.
Nicholas Caltabiano, 24, Brigantine - Promoting Gambling.
Fekre Tesgaye, 50, Atlantic City - Money Laundering
Ian Blackman, 28, Mays Landing - Promoting Gambling, Conspiracy to Commit Criminal Usury.
William DePena, 39, Philadelphia - Conspiracy to Promote Gambling.
Joseph Baldino, 22, Philadelphia - Promoting Gambling.
Frank Baldino, 21, Philadelphia - Promoting Gambling
Mark Galasso, 23, Philadelphia - Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.
Steven Cassassanto, 37, Philadelphia/Margate - Conspiracy to Promote Gambling.
Douglas Rubino, 30, Philadelphia - Promoting Gambling.
Matthew Zambaninni, 27, Bear, Del. - Promoting Gambling.
Robert Mackie, 39, Staten Island, N.Y. - Promoting Gambling

[ZoomVT]

Oceans 22?

[Chicago RED]

Thats some big coin $$

[The Judge]

If this was being run out of the poker room at the Borgata, the casino management was certainly complicit in the operation as it could not possibly have escaped the "Eye in the Sky."

[Chicago RED]

Originally Posted by The Judge

If this was being run out of the poker room at the Borgata, the casino management was certainly complicit in the operation as it could not possibly have escaped the "Eye in the Sky."

Agreed

[TheNJKid]

i'll be at the borgata this whole weekend so we'll see if there are any employees left to work after all this

[Seanie Mac]

they got us bad.....

[Seanie Mac]

im playing a $500 horse tourney and all of a sudden im being taken out in cuffs....